News and Activities

Park Avenue has undergone many transformations over time: a prestigious residential address reserved for large bourgeois residences, the main street of the Montreal Jewish and Greek communities, a high-traffic artery… It has been repeatedly condemned – some have predicted that it would become an urban desert – but has shown […]

Historically, Mile End was the heart of the Montreal Jewish community. Just think of the famous bagel bakeries, Wilensky’s, or the works of Mordecai Richler. But what about its contemporary Jewish identity? Many people think immediately of the Hasidic community, highly visible in the streets of the neighbourhood and adjacent […]

During the night of 8 April 1973, a huge fire gutted a run-down rooming house on Park Avenue causing the death of eight people. The inquiry revealed that the tragedy was far from accidental: the building had been allowed to turn into a firetrap and the actual owners were hiding […]

From Mile-Ex to Marconi-Alexandra Back to the future Marconi-Alexandra is a district with a unique character: a mixture of various land uses, surrounded by railway infrastructure, its history little known. Comprised of history buffs and residents active in the neighbourhood, our panel will explore issues related to this changing area located north […]

by Melanie Leavitt Pioneers of the Picket Line: The role of women in the labour movement From sweat-shop floors to picket lines, discover the stories of women – union organizers, community activists, and factory workers – who paved the way for the modern labour movement and workers’ rights in Montreal. A special […]

talk given by Justin Bur For the past 140 years, the Canadian Pacific railway tracks have formed a boundary in the midst of the city. A major project driven forward by Louis Beaubien and supported by Curé Antoine Labelle (P’tit train du nord), this line was later purchased by CP to form part […]

We’ve added a new feature to our web site: a map linking to histories of about 30 important sites in the neighbourhood. Click on a pin on the map to discover the backstory of these places that have contributed to the identity of Mile End. The launch will take place […]

by Sara Ferdman Tauben Sara Tauben will be speaking on the History, Symbolism and Identity of synagogues in Mile End and Outremont. Sara Ferdman Tauben is the author of Traces of the Past: Montreal’s Early Synagogues (Véhicule Press, 2011). She has a BA in History and Art History from Haifa University, […]

The symbols of Mile End churches Kevin Cohalan, of the Société d’histoire du Plateau Mont-Royal, will give a lavishly illustrated presentation on the symbols used in Mile End churches, with a focus on the Church of the Ascension. Sleeping soldiers, Greek letters, knights in shining armour, lambs—he will unlock the […]

Saturday, August 13, 2pm.The Crossroads of Three Cultures. The west of Mile End is the fruit of the unlikely encounter between a French-Canadian artisans’ village, a new suburb at the turn of the 20th century marketed mainly to the English-speaking middle class, and the heart of Montreal’s Jewish life between the […]

The Marché des Possibles, Mile End’s summer gathering place, is back for a third year! The market is produced by POP Montréal in collaboration with the Arrondissement du Plateau Mont-Royal. Mile End Memories will be there with an information table, a history presentation, and of course walking tours of the neighborhood. The market takes place each Friday, […]

Walking tour led by Michèle Pontbriand and Nathalie Tremblay This short walking tour will pass along a few of the most important streets of Mile End. We’ll stop at buildings that demonstrate the evolution of the neighborhood and that have stories to tell. This tour is offered as part of […]

Walk led by Justin Bur and Christine Richard All of our Jane’s Walks have reached capacity! Thank you for signing up in such large numbers. If you were not able to reserve a spot, don’t worry: we’ll be offering many other tours this summer, most likely including a repeat of this one. This walk […]

Talk by Yves Desjardins Spring 1934. The Great Depression of the 1930s is at its worst. Camillien Houde is about to take back the mayoralty of Montreal. His supporters and opponents combat fiercely in the city’s districts. One of them is exceptional: Laurier Ward, i.e., the southern part of today’s Mile […]

This talk will illustrate how a group of women were inspired to celebrate International Women’s Day through exhibitions, films, workshops and performances of women artists in the neighbourhood of Mile End. They will share their visions of the empowerment of local women artists through the story of the exhibitions and […]

Talk by Alexia Bhéreur-Lagounaris and Alice Miquet On Saturday 27 February, during the Montréal joue Festival, an urban scavenger hunt will begin at the library. It was designed by Ablblalab, founded by two friends of Mile End Memories. Inspired by the neighbourhood and its stories, they have invented a new way of exploring which […]

Talk by Kevin Cohalan, Nathalie Tremblay and Joshua Wolfe Finding new uses for heritage buildings is often a challenge. The transformation of the Church of the Ascension into a neighbourhood library is considered to have been a great succes. What lessons can be learned from it? The three speakers will present the history […]

Talk by Yves Desjardins During the 19th century, vast swathes of Mile End and Outremont belonged to a few principal landowning families. One of them, the Beaubiens, played a determining role over several generations in the municipal politics and urban development of these districts. If the association of the Beaubiens with […]

Talk by Christian Gates St-Pierre, archaeologist The Plateau Mont-Royal and Rosemont are known for their greystone quarries used for numerous 19th-century buildings in Montreal. But there exists another, less known quarry at the foot of the mountain, worked by First Nations in prehistoric times. This unique quarry is one of many […]

Walking tour led by Christine Richard and Justin Bur Don’t miss our last walking tour of the year! This walk will traverse Mile End from west to east, giving us the opportunity to discover the history of the neighbourhood’s streets, of the various housing types that compose its landscape, and the surprising […]